End of Financial Year update

It’s JULY!!!!! This may sound very boring, but gosh…. how did July came so fast? It felt like only last week when I celebrated CNY back home. So many things had happened and so many had changed since then. Me getting a job for example. It wasn’t a job that I was expecting but I’m loving every second of it nonetheless. Now, I don’t want to brag but how cool is my boss?! I must be super lucky to have her as my direct supervisor for she is ever generous with her knowledge, patient with my drawbacks and extremely warm and friendly. Without a doubt, I am willing to work overtime for her. Not that she ever asked me to. The rest of the team are great too especially with Shelley there. They create such a motivating environment to work!!

Apart from that, after 3 years living with Tika, Terence and I have finally decided to move in together. It has been nothing but wonderful memories to have such an awesome homie, one who cook and take care of you when you’re sick and has abundance of energy. Honestly, having Tika beside me for these 3 years had made my time here interesting and never a dull one. Although it is with a heavy heart, it’s also time to move on and take the next step with my lovely partner. Some might say it’s a bit late but there’s no rush for such a thing and I’m happy at the pace we are going. This might be out of context but I’ve reached a point when I realised that if a friend disagree with the choices I made then I do not need to entertain his constant bickering. If he is unable to respect me or my partner then I would have to choose the obvious one. After all, when the majority says aye and one says nay, why bother with that one fella?

Anyway, I’m also going back for PYA’s WEDDING on the 28 of July!!! Wooohooo!! It’s gonna be a hectic one with all the catching up and preparation to do considering I’m meeting all my family members! All 38 of them! And Jean will also be in Malaysia on the same weekend! What a coincidence! (I’m so excited to the extent that I need to prove it by excessively using the exclamation mark for each sentence) On top of that, I’ve already made up my schedule for that weekend by the hour. The planning required high precision and dedication to be executed so I’ll have to fully optimise those 72 hours and sacrifice my sleeping time. J

End of the Unemployed Chapter

As the title suggests, I’ve got a job! Muahahhaha!! Finally! Personally, I did not expect that getting a job would be this hard. When I graduated from Nilai, I got every job I applied for. Naturally, after a year of working experience and a double master, I would think that my market value is higher. Oh, how wrong am I. The Australian job market is certainly very different from Malaysia. Words alone cannot describe how different it is but in essence let’s just say it’s a whole lot more complicated. There are multiple recruitment process and let’s not forget about the competitions. Friends and family back home often asked why it is so hard and my answer would be, why don’t you try it out yourself?

These 10 months of unemployment gave me the opportunity to develop my level of patience. One never knows how an unemployed feels until one is unemployed. No matter how, you will not understand if you’ve never experience more than half a year of unemployment and literally hundreds of rejection letters. Although I did have a casual job which I was really fond of but it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t full time. I was seriously on the brink of depression. All my life, I always had something definite to do. So when I had nothing confirmed and my future seems to be getting darker and darker, I went cuckoo. It doesn’t help when family and friends unconsciously made it worse.

Anyway, here are a few do’s and don’ts when dealing with unemployed people, especially those who had been actively looking for a full-time for more than half a year.

DO NOT ask if they’ve got a job yet. It’s like a slap on the face and a reminder that they have NOT got a job. It is even worse when the question comes from family and close friends cause we hate to disappoint those closest to us. Granted, they are concern and worried but sometimes, asking about it does not help at all. For very obvious reasons when a person does get a job, they will tell you. Asking isn’t necessary.

DO NOT ask what they did today. Duh.. Applied for jobs? As an example, my days of unemployment are in no ways interesting. I woke up, turn on the computer, look at all possible jobsite and applied them, hoping at least one would offer me.  Yes, I customised my resume and cover letter. And yes, I got it checked by both professional and non-professionals. So, do not ask what they did today, every single time, because it is stressful to figure out an answer that will entertain you.

DO listen and not advise or judge them. Or give suggestions on how to improve the resume’s market value. Just empathise with their situation and relate to them. Sometimes, all we need is just someone to listen and not advises on “how YOU think we can do better”. For example, when an unemployed said he didn’t do well on the interview, DO NOT start commenting on the way he dress or the way he talked or how his resume is not good enough. If the guy had been actively looking for a job for the past 6 months, I am pretty sure he already researched on how to perform well on all those. Instead, just say that perhaps it is not meant to be, the competition is tough, market is bad or cheer him up with other topics.

DO chat about what’s happening in your life. Gossips about bosses or friends will put their minds off stressful stuff. If you think there is nothing to talk about your life, then talk about the current issues. It doesn’t always have to be personal life, does it? When people are unemployed, they pretty much have nothing to do but read the news so go discuss about what’s happening in the world, the good or the bad. News is like a daily entertainment and you would be surprise on how much an unemployed know about economics, politics and even celebrity gossips. Plus, it helps to stimulate your brain too!

Anyway, I started my job a couple of days ago and am loving it. Although it is not within my comfortable zone but I am glad that my colleagues and boss are ever helpful. Plus, I get to inspect houses too! Which is quite fun actually. Oh dear.. I think I got the “property bug”!

Buddhism vs Taoism

My parents sent me a link on this Buddhist monk named Ajahn Siripanno yesterday, who preached about the timeless teachings of Ajahn Chah. Although I am very sure that the video consists a lot of valuable lessons, I have to admit that I did not finish watching it. Sorry Daddy and Mommy! It’s not that I don’t like it nor believe in it, its just that I was suddenly caught up in an idea. I was wondering why there are no posts on Facebook regarding Buddhism as compared to Christianity and Muslim. Just glanced through the Newsfeed and am sure you would find at least a status that shouts a quote from the Bible or the Quran. Do not take me wrong as I am not patronising other religions. Granted, I do not believe in their teachings but I have the utmost respect for each of them. Who says you need to believe to respect? A lot of time, we see these dumb heads that felt intimidated just because the other is not a follower of the same religion. That indicates lack of faith in their own beliefs as well as lack of respect for other cultures which would subsequently lead to the ignition of meaningless war as mentioned by Samuel Huntington back in 1993 and as can be seen in the past decade. That was a horrible tragedy and it need not be repeated.

Anyway, I would also like to clarify that Buddhism is not Taoism albeit they do have similarities. Very often, people make this mistake when I told them of my religion and in my opinion, it is so inappropriate. For a start, Buddhist does not believe in God while Taoist believes in multiple deities. One might ask, if Buddhist does not believe in God, why do we pray to Buddha? Very good question indeed. Buddha is not our God as he is simply the “founder” of Buddhism and we do not pray to him, we offer our respect to him. And why do we not believe in God can be further explained by this guy:  http://www.buddhanet.net/ans73.htm. Another point is; if you had noticed, most Buddhist would not force another to be one. If you had met one that insists you to be a Buddhist then he/she is obviously not understanding the right thing. What Buddhism preaches is just the ways of life which are rather practical yet hard to be fully implemented. Well, it seems that I have already written way more than expected. I’m pretty sure that someone from my pool of friends would somehow be uncomfortable with some words that I had mentioned here and for that I would merely say again; I am not patronising others here nor am I saying that Buddhism is superior. Cheers!

Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule. – Buddha-

24th Bday celebration

It was my Birthday! Almost a quarter of a hundred and I love each part of it. And after the amazing celebration that my friends threw for me, I finally found my groove to write again. It had been a not-so-good month with all the job applications and so on. But honestly, despite being jobless I ended my days with zero level of energy. Can you just imagine how stressful and energy-draining it is to apply for jobs and the anxiety of not knowing your future? Anyway, those stuffs aside, my birthday celebrations was just fab-bu-lous!

It started with Su Wei sending me an adorable puzzle-card. It was so sweet that I’m sure I would get diabetic reading it so many times. Seng Keat also came to Melbourne for a night stop and we went for Korean BBQ which costed him a hefty amount. Thanks SK! Also, thanks to my beloved granny and parents for the generous ang pow! The very same day, Terence bought me the board game which I had been looking for ever since I came back from Msia! Thanks Honey! Revenge at House of the Hill!! Hohohoo!! Anyone, please do come and play with me. I assure you it is a very interesting game, unlike Monopoly.

The next day was my birthday eve and Terence planned a date for us. Went for Mirror Mirror starring Julia Roberts and gosh, may I just add that the ending was epic!! Following on was dinner at Chinatown serving my favourite quail. Yummy! I cannot believe such a tiny bird can taste so good. If it weren’t that delicious I might actually felt guilty eating them. Right after dinner we went to one of my favourite bar in Melbourne where they served drinks in syringe and noodle boxes! I know right? How cool is that?! Now, the highlight of the night is when Terence insisted I skull my drinks to head to another mysterious bar. I deliberately asked him if we were meeting anyone and my dear innocent boyfriend put up his by-far-the-most poker face, and said; “NOOoooOOO!!!! Why would you think that?”

So I did as I was told and finished my noodle-box vodka and green tea in a staggering 10 minutes, walked wobbly to Russel St while complaining that it is just ridiculous that he let me ordered that drink, fully aware that we need to leave soon. As we reached the ‘mysterious’ bar, I realised it was Madam Brussels (the bar that Tika and I went to and fall in love with) and I asked him again, if we are meeting anyone. Naturally, the answer was the same. I took the lift up and went to the balcony where I saw all of them!!! I’m sure I caught them at a wrong time coz there were no ‘SURPRISE!!!’ although I AM rather taken aback. Oooo… How sweet are my friends! Everyone was there!!! A surprise Bday party for me! Thanks Tika! (it has to be her coz she loves surprises) And all that came; Billy, Kristy, Nelson, Louise, Sid, Molly, Erica, Vicky, Akil, Tash, David, Lachy and Mark. Oh, I love the presents too! Muackz muackz!

My actual Birth Day was a little quiet which is good cause I really couldn’t summon much more energy. We even celebrated the Earth Hour! Environmental awareness people! Hehehe. So all in all, my Bday celebration was over the top. I hope my wishes come true too! =)

The last post for 2011

And BAM! It’s the end of 2011 already!! As usual, time past really fast doesn’t it? Some may think that they are getting old but I prefer to think that I’m still really young. Cause next year is just 2012 when I would probably live till 2071.. WOW~~ 2.0.7.1!! I wonder how the Earth would be then..

Anyway, instead of looking forward for a New Year, it’s also really important for us to reflect on this year, smile back on those funny memories and learn from the mistakes we had done. On a larger scale, this year is definitely a year to remember in the World’s history. There were numerous good news such as: the demise of Osama bin Ladin, Muammar Gaddafi and the recent Kim Jong-il, the US Army finally leaving Afghanistan after an exaggerated decade of war, the royal marriage of Prince William and Katherine and so on. But let’s not forget also the bad news that had happened this year: the unfortunate earthquake/tsunami in Japan that shook the entire globe, a string of disastrous earthquakes in Christchurch, the crippling economies of some European countries and many more.

For me personally, it definitely had been a great year albeit I had made tonnes of mistakes. What’s pivotal is I am contented with my performance in 2011. Yes, I still have a couple of 2011 Resolution that has yet to be crossed off the list such as a tattoo (yes, a tattoo.. but the prospect of getting it is getting slimmer by the minute), attending a concert, going to Gold Coast and dye my hair (they are still virgins!). I do plan to bring forward these resolutions though. 2011 has definitely taught me a lot in ways of life, how some things are just merely uncontrollable and how we should sometimes just let it be. Most importantly, as always, it taught me to look at things positively, no matter how bad the scenario is.

For 2012 I’m hoping to secure a job as an auditor in a mid-tier accounting firm (I know what you would be thinking, but I still love the auditing job!), excel in my job, buy a car by the end of the year, start paying off my parents for the piling debts I owed, go home to visit family and friends more often, be a supportive girlfriend, stay positive + healthy and finally, keep in touch with my mates! To the world, I wish 2012 would be an economic-disaster-free year, less wars and less racism issues.. I wished what Mr.Huntingdale said bout the wars caused by racism will finally cease. I mean, people really do not understand the power of posting something in the world wide web (Facebook especially). Respect others y’all!! No one is bloody perfect including yourself. So stop judging! *getting too heated up now*

In a nutshell, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Taking a leap to 2012~

In memory of my necklace and some awesome news

I lost my necklace..  two weeks ago. It’s not just ANY necklace, it’s THE necklace that my beloved parents gave me on my 21^st Birthday! It’s a symbol of their love to me. An asset. My protection against evil stuff. And most importantly, its bloody hell expensive!!! I know it is really bad to start blogging with a bad news and I don’t wanna spoil people’s mood and all… even so, I had to grieve for it! So bear with me… I lost it when I went for the medical check-up the other day and carelessly stuff it in my jean’s pocket. FRONT left pocket! I was utterly confident that it will not slip out.. OBVIOUSLY, I was wrong. Sigh…. So, if anyone of you might somehow stumble on a silver chain with a key pendant in the middle of Swanston St., please call me ASAP.  

On a lighter note, I do have a HUGE news to break. I got my Permanent Residency in Australia!!! Hehehehe! Wooohhooo! I still can’t believe it could be this soon, not that I’m complaining. It’s just another heavy issue taken off from my shoulder. Mind you, its Residency and not Citizenship. I’m still very much a proud Malaysian and my passport is still dark red colour. Anyhow, having this extra visa in my passport would open more doors for me and hopefully, *fingers and toes crossed* I would get an amazing job in my preferred field soon. Like.. real soon! Coz if truth be told, patience is not one of my many virtues.

On top of that, Terence and I miraculously found $90 cash under our table the other night! It was funny cause we were looking forward to check out this rooftop bar and decide to do so last Sunday.  And when we saw the cash, we merely left it under the table for five minutes and pretended we didn’t saw them. It was the most awkward five minutes between us as we kept quiet the entire time while looking around suspiciously. Personally, I thought we were in a reality show where the camera crew will jump out from the nearest bush as soon as we pick up the cash. Fortunately, there were none of those. We did picked the cash up eventually and left it untouched on our table. Then we made a pledge to wait for a good one hour for the owner to return. As much as we would like to be a good Samaritan, that didn’t happen. So we ended up with extra $90 in our purse. Hehehehe! Lucky eh?  What did we do with the money? Well, we donate it of course. To the Red Cross International Fund. For those who refuse to believe me, you may pop me an email and I’ll forward the receipt to you. Hmph! But yeah, although some would call us fool but considering the money doesn’t belong to us in the first place, it is only right to donate to those who need them even if it might not meant much. Correct? =) 

November parties~

Life’s good. No. It’s great albeit I’m without a permanent job. But hey, at least I’ve got enough points to apply for my PR over here and am still employed by Deakin as a casual staff. On top of that, have family that still cares for me, a handful amount of friends that loves and support me and most importantly, an understanding Honey (who keeps up with my whining, tantrums  and sudden chicken wing biting). Yeap, as mentioned, I AM still with Deakin – taking up the role in video production. In fact, I’ve directed and produced at least 9 videos now. I am seriously considering if I should upload it all on youtube/vimeo to use as my portfolio. Never know if some headhunters would find the secret talent in me. HOHOHO!!!!

I also had a housewarming party-slash-Tika’s Bday-slash-Billy’s Bday-slash-Mark’s Bday-slash-Avnit’s farewell party last weekend. It was AWESOME! Or at least, that’s what all the guest told me in the video while being in a tipsy mood. Billy who is famous for his mouth watering pumpkin soup had graciously volunteered himself to be our cook and we had a 5 star, 3 course dinner that night. Entrée is a cauliflower and carrot soup with a superb balance of flavour. Main is a slowly roasted roast lamb with steamed beans and grilled pumpkin, potatoes and carrots. He even catered for vegetarian by serving stuffed mushrooms. And finally, dessert is poached pear with berries and vanilla ice cream at the side. I am telling you, he is definitely missing his calling to be a chef. After dinner, we had a tiny slice of birthday cake and some fruits that Louise patiently cut and dressed for us. Bless that girl! Considering that each of them brought a bottle of wine for us (our bar is now doubled!), we had to serve them back. Let’s just say, at the end of the night, a fair amount of my guests are not walking straight anymore. Muahahhaha!!

Am so glad to have them around. =)